Brisket Cooking

I am interested in this too as I head into my first brisket cook

I'm still using the five pound can of cookshack brisket rub that came with my smoker and have never had a problem getting a good bark on briskets. I've tried mixing a little brown sugar in it, and that works too. I do put a slather of olive oil or mustard or honey mustard on the brisket first, then put the rub on as thick as I can. I cook fat side down the whole time and do not foil. I do flip the briskets over the last 90 miniutes or so before I pull them. This last time I did a brisket, I used a mop on the briskets about an hour before I pulled them. This was a mistake, as it made the bark soggy and it didn't have time to harden up before I pulled it. And no, the drippings from the top ones have never hurt the bottom ones. Here's a closeup of my last one. Any naked spots on the bark are a cook's treat which I could not resist. I do know a mop works well but you have to use it earlier in the cook.

Like the cooks above said.Much of your bark formation,cooking slo/lo may come from your rub.I am happy to have drippings on my briskets.

It is so nice to hear a stick burner want to ask a brisket question that doesn't deal with,"where's the smoke flavor".

I can, at times, have problems of putting too much rub on the brisket.

Some stickburners are good cooks and have learned not to oversmoke the product and wind up with that lovely creosote taste.Of course,FEC cooks don't really know what we are referring to.

Pellet cooking and stck burner cooking are just different means to get the same result. Neither are good or bad just different methods. I think we can eventually get very close to the same flavors with both methods as I learn my cooker.

I have learned, the hard way, that certain brands of pellets produce more smoke flavor and IMHO more heat. Cookshack pellets and BBQ Delite seem to be very good. Tager not my favorite.

Thanks for all the responses to my post.
Ed

As they shrink, I try to "offset" the one above the one below IF that's an issue for you. Just try to get the grease dripping into an open area.

But you can't avoid it, grease happens

Ditto on the grease. I will try the offset if space permits.

Thanks.

Ed